Saint Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor made two things perfectly clear early Wednesday evening – Walsh Jesuit is a quality team and his Wildcats have to have a short memory if they are to continue to build on what is one of the best starts to a season in the 'Cats' baseball history.
Walsh Jesuit, flashing its nationally ranked credentials from the get-go, defeated Saint Ignatius, 10-0, in a Cuyahoga River Baseball Conference matchup in Bohlken Park. The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Ranked anywhere from first to fifth in most of the national polls, Coach Chris Kaczmar's Warriors improved to 15-0, handed the Wildcats just their second loss in 17 games this spring and limited the usually capable Saint Ignatius offense to one hit - a double leading off the bottom of the fourth inning by sophomore catcher Stephen Alexander. It was Alexander's first hit on the varsity level as he was just called up from the junior varsity on Wednesday.
“You can't make the mistakes that we did defensively, especially against a quality team,” said Coach Ganor, after Walsh Jesuit became the first Ohio team to defeat the Wildcats this season. Saint Ignatius' other setback was to T.L. Hanna of Anderson, South Carolina in the championship game of the Southeastern Baseball Classic.
Walsh Jesuit, the top-ranked team in the Division II state coaches poll, combined one-out base hits by senior outfielder Patrick Ammar and senior shortstop John Fasola, a passed ball and a two-out, line-drive single to left field by senior first baseman Ryan Berry into a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The first two of Berry's three runs batted in came off a 1-2 pitch.
Two errors, a walk and a wild pitch opened the door for two more runs in the top of the second and, after a run-saving diving catch by Ammar ended the second inning, the Warriors tacked on three more runs in the top of the third. The big blow was a lead-off home run by Berry over the 385-foot sign in left-center. The Wildcats didn't help themselves in the third inning either, as they sandwiched two more errors around a wild pitch.
The scoring came to an end in the top of the fifth when Walsh Jesuit came up with RBIs off a triple by freshman Cassidy Brown, a sacrifice fly by senior Marco Caponi and a ringing two-out double by Ammar. The Warriors totaled nine hits.
Coach Kaczmar's ace – 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior right-hander and major-league prospect Tyler Skulina – worked two-plus innings. He struck out four, walked four and hit a batter before turning the ball over to sophomore left-hander Michael Marsinek, who displayed a nasty breaking pitch and plenty of velocity.
Saint Ignatius, which had its nine-game winning streak snapped, won't have to wait long to get another shot at the Warriors. The 'Cats travel to Walsh Jesuit on Monday.
“That stuff has to work itself out,” Coach Ganor said of his team's four errors and ill-timed wild pitches and passed balls. “To get yourself better, you have to get past this moment and get ready for the next day. And I'll go to my grave believing that this game is not the biggest game of the year. St. Eds is not the biggest game of the year.
“When we play in the state tournament, those are the biggest games of the year. This game doesn't make or break our season.”